Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Diary Of A Baller: Jalen Cone (Kernersville, NC) Entry #8

Jalen Pulling Up!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Basketball Spotlight Fam... This week I am at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. It is one of the best high school basketball tournaments in the country, maybe the best. My varsity team, High Point Christian Academy (HPCA), has made it to the semi-finals on Tuesday, December 22nd! We will play Chino Hills for a chance to make it to the finals on Wednesday night. By the Way, the championship will be televised on ESPN. The opportunity to be a part of something like this as an 8th grader is great! The atmosphere has been crazy in the gym! There were people waiting outside the gym trying to get in and find a seat. In addition, to get to play against some of the top players in the country in high school basketball like Jayson Tatum, Michael Porter, Alonzo Ball, and many more has been surreal. Every team in the tournament has been talented. I will update you next week on how we end up. Finally, I want to talk about this special Holiday coming up- Christmas. I cannot wait for Christmas to come, it is my favorite holiday. I get to be with my family, everyone is happy opening their gifts and spending quality time with each other. But most of all, we celebrate Jesus' Birthday. Jesus is the Son of God who died for all our sins so that we can have a chance at eternal life in Heaven. Christmas has become so commercialized, but the true celebration begins with recognizing that this is the time of year where we thank God for sending his son Jesus to this world. You can read the entire Christmas Story in Luke 2:1-20. Here are a few verses...
"11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in highest heaven and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”